Monday, February 8, 2010

Dear Lamont,

The other night I was in an interesting predicament. I don't know how to not stress eat. I made a post on facebook about it- what do you do when you're stressed and all you want is a milkshake?- and I got a lot of the usual- eat something healthier, have hot cocoa or tea and things like that- and that is all great advice, all things I do regularly. (Haven't had a milkshake since I met you, my life is a series of substitutions these days.) HOWEVER, that wasn't really my question.

How do I not stress eat? What button do I need to switch to keep my instant reaction to stress or depression eating? Just swapping the go-to milkshake for a 100 calorie pack doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it less devastating while reinforcing the behavior.

I ended up going to bed early to avoid temptation. Plus, Doug was making chorizo and bacon and eggs and hash browns for breakfast burritos to take to work. All of my weaknesses at once, coupled with stress and a strong desire for chocolate. BAD.

It really bothered me, though, that everyone had the usual substitution answers but no real solutions to stress eating. Is there no real answer? Am I stuck going to bed early whenever I am having a hard time dealing with life?

2 comments:

Hey Kim, Not that I have an answer, because then I'd be rich, but I'd say that you probably have to pay a therapist for the answer to that question!! You know, the figuring out why that is your response. What role does food play in your life. I would think rather than food substitutions, you do something totally different. Go for a jog on your property, go lift some weights, write in a journal. Most likely it's out of habit, and it takes doing something like 100 times to change the habit. Anyway, just my two cents! - Melanie Davis

Love your blog. I have been on a diet half my life. My daughter (Randee) told me to check out your blog. Emotional eating is hard to combat. I joined PEERtrainer.com (free) and signed up for their EE program. You get a series of 6 e-mails with a "phone call" discussing ways to deal with it. Maybe one of their ideas will help you. (I'm still working on it with some of their ideas, guess it takes time)Congrats on your weightloss. You look great in that reward! Linda